Tawny Eagle

How The Peregrine Fund is Helping

Though The Peregrine Fund doesn't work directly with Tawny Eagle,our efforts in scientific research, habitat conservation, education, and community development help conserve birds of prey around the world. We also supply literature to researchers from our avian research library, which helps scientists around the world gather and share important information on raptor conservation. We also run the Global Raptor Impact Network which gives raptor researchers tools to more efficiently conduct their own studies while contributing to a global program. GRIN also provides citizen scientists a way to participate in raptor science and conservation.

Where They Live

The Tawny Eagle is found in portions of sub-Saharan Africa and parts of southern Asia. Throughout its range, it is found in most habitat types, including open savanna, steppe and less dense woodlands. It is also found in areas where large game and cattle are present. However, they do appear to avoid arid deserts and dense forests.  

What They Do

The Tawny Eagle is a diurnal raptor. In India, it has been documented to roost in large groups during the non-breeding season. 

The Tawny Eagle, like all top predators, plays a very important role in its environment. It hunts other animals for food but no animals hunt it on a regular basis. They are unlike snakes, for example, which prey on mice, birds, and other animals but also are preyed upon by animals that feed on them. For most top predators, their only threat is humans. Top predators, such as the Tawny Eagle, play an important role in nature by helping to control populations of prey animals and maintain a balance in the ecosystems where they live.

The Tawny Eagle is also known as an umbrella species. Just as several people can stand under a large umbrella and be protected from the rain, so too can many species of wildlife be protected by conserving one species like the Tawny Eagle. To protect the eagles, we must protect the animals they need for food, the plants and animals that their prey feed on, and the trees that these eagles nest in, which helps protect the other animals that use these trees for food, shelter, and space. Conserving Tawny Eagles and their habitat automatically provides protection for all the other plants and animals that live there too. 

Why They Need Our Help

The Tawny Eagle is categorized as Vulnerable. The greatest threats that this species faces include both deliberate and secondary poisoning. People often poison carcasses to kill large predators such as lions and leopards. When the eagles feed on poisoned carcasses, they will become sick and die, too. They also suffer from human persecution, and are susceptible to drowning in  reservoirs. Some birds are also killed by vehicles when scavenging carrion on roads. 

What They Eat

Tawny Eagles are very opportunistic hunters, meaning they will feed on just about anything they are able to catch. They will hunt mammals including hares and dikdiks, birds such as francolins, bustards, and even hornbills! They will also take reptiles, such as lizards,  fish, amphibians, and insects (including termites). They will also feed on carrion, and forage at garbage dumps.

These large eagles are also very adept at pirating (stealing) prey from other birds of prey, especially the Bateleur. They have several different hunting tactics which include hunting from a perch, chasing prey on the wing, and even grabbing food from the ground on  foot. Researchers have observed them in groups near grass fires, hunting small animals as they flee the smoke and flames. 

Nests, Eggs, and Young

Tawny Eagles collect sticks with which to build their nests. Their nests are mostly flat and lined with grasses or green leaves. They often place the nest structures high up in thorn tree. In areas throughout their range that naturally lack trees, they may choose to place their nests on pylons and introduced trees.

When the time is right, the female will lay up to 2 eggs, which must be incubated for around 42 days or more. Though both eggs usually hatch, often the older nestling will kill the younger, smaller one. This is known as "cainism" or siblicide."  Young birds stay in the nest for around 76–85 days before flying for the first time. Even though they will become agile flyers in a short amount of time, they will stay with their parents for around 6 more weeks as they learn to hunt, avoid danger, and generally survive on their own. 

Tawny Eagle and the World Center for Birds of Prey

Though far away from the Tawny Eagle's range, the World Center for Birds of Prey offers fun ways to learn about raptors. Interactive activities, tours, interesting videos and a children's room with activities from coloring sheets and quizzes to costumes and a touch table are available for the curious mind. We also have several different birds of prey on display year-round, including several hawk species!  A visit to the World Center for Birds of Prey will reward you with a close-up look at several different hawk species from around the world including the beautiful Bateleur, the powerful Harpy Eagle and the majestic Bald Eagle. On display in an outdoor aviary, Stoffel, the Bateleur, delights visitors with his colorful plumage and entertaining behavior. Our experts and volunteers at the visitor center will help you learn more about the interesting traits, feeding habits, and reproductive behavior of this unusual eagle. Housed in our outdoor facilities, Sky the Bald Eagle greets visitors year-round from her chamber. When you walk the interpretive trail that looks out over the Boise valley in the winter, you may be able to spot a Bald Eagle soaring over the grasslands or perched in a tree or on a distant power pole. Grayson, the Harpy Eagle, will delight you with his gentle demeanor. We have a mounted eagle on display, real Harpy Eagle feathers you can touch, and a short video that chronicles the exciting journey of our biologists as they work to hatch young eagles, raise them, and ultimately release them into the dense forests of Panama. Fancy, our resident Ornate Hawk-eagle is an amazingly colorful bird of prey. Our knowledgeable staff and volunteers are on hand to answer any questions you may have about Tawny Eagle or other raptors.

References:

Global Raptor Information Network. 2021. Species account: Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax. Downloaded from http://www.globalraptors.org on 3 Dec. 2021

Kemp, A. C. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.taweag1.01